[shepherdgirl]

Hi! I'm still just getting started on here, so you probably haven't seen me around. Not sure where to post this question, so am starting here.

Anyways, I'm currently morbidly obese and as of this week's WI, need to lose exactly 100 lbs. to be at a healthy BMI (135 lbs.). If my body will allow it, I'd like to get down to 126 so I can say I lost half my weight, but I'll be happy with just being at a normal weight. My goodness, that seems like a pie in the sky right now, but just one week at a time, right?

I also thought that I'd use my body fat % as another way to track my progress. So first question:

How accurate is the tape measure method of assessing body fat?

I googled several calculators and picked this one http://www.linear-software.com/online.html
My stats:
57.5% bf
135 lbs. bf
100 lbs. lean weight

That sounds about right, considering I'm 100 lbs. overweight--almost double the size I should be. I don't have a body fat scale, but may eventually invest in one--I'm just using my cheap scales for now. I hoping this method can at least track a trend, even if it's not very accurate.

My goal weight is 126 lbs. and 28% body fat; which means I would have 35 lbs. of body fat and 91 lbs of lean weight. So I need to lose exactly 100 lbs. of body fat--which leads to my other two questions:

How much lean weight do you usually lose during weight loss? And what are specific things that I can do to make sure most of it is fat and not lean weight that I am losing?

Thanks in advance! Let me know if there are other threads that might have some ideas also.

[Goddess Jessica]

Originally Posted by shepherdgirl

How accurate is the tape measure method of assessing body fat?

And what are specific things that I can do to make sure most of it is fat and not lean weight that I am losing?

I've never heard of a tape measure to calculate body fat percentage. I've seen the skinfold test and the water displacement test. I've had the skinfold test and it seemed pretty accurate.

But a tape measure is a great tool to use to track progress. Inches are a lot more fun to track then pounds. Plus if you're working out, the scale might stall but you can keep losing inches (because muscle weighs more than fat).

You're going to lose lean weight when you diet. However, exercise will help build it back up. I wouldn't get too hung up on it.

[lovemydoggiesx2]

When I started at 175lbs I did the tape measure test to determine my fat percentage too, and it was a whopping 29%. Which seems really high to me. So for your size, that number seems maybe a little high too. Maybe Im just in fat denail...lol.

Of course you lose lean weight when your dieting. Its the good stuff your body wants to eat up, so its really important to do exercise and not just diet.

After you lose like 20lbs, do the test again and see how far you´ve come down in %. Good luck.

[shepherdgirl]

Thanks for the responses! I know that the skinfold and water tests are the most accurate, but I was looking for something I could do on my own, relatively cheaply. I may just break down and buy set of body fat scales, but I've heard they aren't the most accurate either. But for now, I don't really need the exact number--the trend is all I need to worry about at this size!

I know, 57% body fat sounds insanely high, but it makes logical sense to me. According to what I've read 20-30 % is a general healthy range for women and I'm literally double the size I should be, so I'm guessing my body fat is twice what it should be. Oh well--wish me luck as I continue to battle my body. I will conquer!

[jitterfish]

At this stage in the game I wouldn't worry too much about anything other than letting those numbers drop away. Once you start losing weight then you're going to start working out what works best for you for weight reduction. Making sure you do some weight training will help (its too easy to focus of cardio because you focus on the calories burned) and making sure you eat good protein.

Best of luck, I've just passed the 100lb lost (but then dammit 2lb went back on over the weekend), believe me you can do it even though it seems amazing.

[alitorry]

I know there are more accurate ways to test body fat, but when I was in the military, if women would be over the weight range, we would measure their neck, waist and hips. the bigger the neck the better in those days (helped with the BMI calculation) . It must be at least somewhat accurate. Maybe you could use that method in the meantime I know that when checking online for my BMI, it was WAY different from when I went to the gym and they tested me with one of those handheld ones that you hold onto and stick out in front of you. I've never seen anything like that before. I have no idea how that can be accurate, but the gym uses it .. oh well.

Congrats on getting started, sounds like your head is really in the game and you've got your planning process started

[Jen]

I had my body fat tested in a machine called a BOD POD. It is supposed to be very, very accurate. Anyway at the time I weighed 265 lbs and I'm 5'3" and my body fat percentage was 59.9% so it is entirely possible that your tape measuring is right.

To lose fat and keep lean weight you want to eat minimum 60 grams of protein daily and eat low carb/low fat. Even better build your lean muscle mass by starting some strength training.

[Riddy]

I don't know much about figuring out your body fat % on your own.

My scale lost its mind a couple weeks into my journey, so I bought one that measures body fat. I don't know how accurate it is, but it HAS dropped. When I got it at 273 pounds, it said I was 42% fat, now at 215 it says I'm 36.5% fat. It does fluctuate up and down from week to week, but it is going down.

I would second the suggestion to keep track of your measurements, too. There are weeks when the scale won't move, but the progress will show on the tape measure.

[shepherdgirl]

Originally Posted by Jen

I had my body fat tested in a machine called a BOD POD. It is supposed to be very, very accurate. Anyway at the time I weighed 265 lbs and I'm 5'3" and my body fat percentage was 59.9% so it is entirely possible that your tape measuring is right.

To lose fat and keep lean weight you want to eat minimum 60 grams of protein daily and eat low carb/low fat. Even better build your lean muscle mass by starting some strength training.

Okay, cool. I was hoping that someone could give me a comparison. And thanks for the advice--I do want to start strength training, but I'm going to have to build up to it. I'll make it a goal to start once I get my cardio built up.